Pure flavors of lemon, and golden pear dominate, finished in stages by beeswax, clay, and mineral that last very long. 2009’s Reserve Privée is complex and very good (4 of 5). Three years have served it well.

Thick, sugary legs descend into a glass glowing with gold. Pronounced yet still developing aromas exude honey and wet, handmade paper. High sugar and acidity factor each other out. The viscous texture is surprisingly not heavy nor cloying. Flavors of prickly grapefruit and asian fruits (kiwi), and apricot, finish with a lengthy, savory note. Again, very good quality (4 of 5): a dessert wine for summer or thai food.

By now, our guide trusts our French, chuckles at my note-taking, and she sneaks out a final iteration of Chenin Blanc: the 1988 Grande Année:

$60 if you could find it.

Now, rumors claim Chenin Blanc has the acidity to age for a century. Brédif’s rotunda of wines dating to 1900 attest to this. But how will this 24 year old white hold up?

The clear, medium gold color shows its age. Time has also allowed for aromas of honey, smoke, and asparagus to reach pronounced heights of intensity.

Unlike Brédif’s newer, drier wines, a touch more sugar balances a still lively acidity. Meanwhile, alcohol and body remain medium and true to the house style.

It is on the palate, where huge, rich fruit takes us. Turkish delight, beeswax, golden pear, and impossibly pure honey all mount one of the longest lengths our palates could imagine.

The ’88 is outstanding wine (5 of 5).

Maybe it is the posh tasting room. Maybe it is the wine. Maybe it is our dehydration. But Marc Brédif‘s many wines, mostly born from Chenin Blanc, show decades of dedicated, textbook, work in Vouvray that can stand the test of time. Sure, the Brédif family may have sold operations in the 1980s. But the brand still makes great wine.